Friday, September 21, 2012

Quick Checklist of Thoughts Going Into Redskins/Bengals Game

I had meant to write a more detailed thing but honestly I feel like being outside and learning how to train red-tailed hawks to catch rabbits for me. I feel that perhaps the coming weeks will decide if I forever give up NFL football and take up backyard falconry. But there are some important things to note...

- Joshua Morgan did not lose that game last week. Redskins fans bemoaned his boneheadedness, and demanded he be cut from the team, and even sent death threats to him via Twitter. But there's no guarantee Billy Cundiff would've even made a 47-yard field goal to tie the game had Morgan not been a bonehead.

- Billy Cundiff has made only 36 of 50 field goals in the 40-49 range, and none above 56. Only 13 field goals have been made in the entirety of the NFL from 60-plus. And yet Mike Shanahan paraded out Billy Cundiff to try and tie the game on a basically an impossibility instead of putting the ball in RG3's hands and taking a shot at a 4th and 16. AND Shanahan said in a press conference this week that he was going to go for it on 4th and 1 instead of kicking a 47-yarder. This tells me he trusts RG3 more than Cundiff, but yet in response to Morgan's bonehead move, made one of his own. I cannot point that out enough. Nobody has rightfully complained about how stupid that was, at least not compared to Morgan, who was made an internet scapegoat.

- Further coaching problems mentioned this week were that DB coach Raheem Morris was actually calling defensive plays in the second half, after he and Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett had had words about adjusting the defense out of the zone that was getting picked apart. This is not a normal thing that happens on most NFL teams.

- Not too long ago, the Redskins hired a new offensive coordinator who ended up taking over play-calling duties like two weeks later under Jim Zorn, who himself was hired only as an OC but then Dan Snyder couldn't get a head coach, so he promoted Zorny. I tell you all this because if there is one team in the NFL that has history of strange coaching switches or an owner inserting himself into these things, it's the Redskins.

- RG3 is the real deal. What that means can only be told by time. But he is - without question - the best rookie QB I've ever seen. It kinda sucks he is with the Redskins though, as he was design-runned a lot last week, which is a fairly stupid thing to do with a talent like him too much. He also complained about dirty hits by the Saints, which when combined with lots of designed runs, is probably going to get him fucked up by the Bengali Samoan Swat Team on defense this weekend. I do not trust Shanahan.

- During the week, DeAngelo Hall talked about how players were feeling themselves after beating the Saints, and maybe not as hungry this second week. Essentially, this is the same, "We are better than this" mantra we've heard for years, which corresponds with retarded Redskins fans believing the new hype, things looking good, jumping in logic from one win to playoffs are a possibility (what the fuck? the Redskins would be happy to contend for the playoffs NEXT YEAR), and then being depressed and angry after that castle made of sand comes crumbling down with the high tide of reality. This team was already about 13-players away from a solid roster BEFORE Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker were lost for the season. So that's two defensive starters gone on a defense with questionable leadership on the sidelines, not only in effort but in who the actual leader is.

- Lost in all this is the Redskins have somehow taken a shitty special teams unit and gotten worse. Not only do we have a kicker who is just as likely to shank important kicks as make them (going by Cundiff's history, not this season), but we also now allow one blocked a punt a week. That's bad on the high school level, but completely unacceptable in the NFL.

- Finally, the Redskins went from league darling to "lololol the Redskins" in the matter of two weeks, and now just this week have their home opener. The fans are moody, and have been primed for years to expect the worst. If things get ugly, the booing will start, and rightfully so. How will the young and amazing RG3 feel then? He seems the eternal optimist, but what does he do then? This isn't college, where loyalty is deep. This is professional football, with a shady owner, a head coach of questionable actual coaching skill, his retarded son, and a fanbase that is sore as fuck at what's been going on.

- Finally for real, Alfred Morris has been nice, but SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THE TERRELL DAVIS COMPARISONS. You know what? Terrell Davis was kind of an asshole. He got injured and had a short career. Fuck him. Mike Shanahan needs to stop hitching his resume to the same two bullet points on his unstoried past and fucking coach a goddamned football team up.

So yeah, that is my non-post post. Not even sure if I'm going to watch the game on Sunday or go hiking down the road and scope out red-tailed hawks for potential falconry first birds.

3 comments:

Yeah I feel that way too. That kid is amazing, not just on the field but in mental spirit. I just worry there is too much around him that is opposite him. I do not worry about Shanahan as hopefully he will be gone next year. I just hope the young RG3 is more powerful a psychic force than Dan Snyder's money.

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